LOCATION CUBDEN SDEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine-silty, mixed, superactive, frigid Aeric Calciaquolls
TYPICAL PEDON: Cubden silty clay loam, on a 1 percent slope in a cultivated field. When described the soil was moist to 20 inches and slightly moist below to a depth of 60 inches. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated.)
Ap--0 to 10 inches; black (10YR 2/1) silty clay loam, very dark gray (10YR 3/1) dry; weak fine granular structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common fine roots; few very fine accumulations of carbonate; strong effervescence (about 9 percent calcium carbonate); slightly alkaline; abrupt smooth boundary. (7 to 15 inches thick)
ABk--10 to 14 inches; very dark gray (10YR 3/1) silty clay loam, gray (10YR 5/1) dry; weak medium subangular blocky structure; slightly hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common fine roots; many fine and very fine accumulations of carbonate; strong effervescence (about 16 percent calcium carbonate); moderately alkaline; clear wavy boundary. (0 to 5 inches thick)
Bk1--14 to 22 inches; dark grayish brown (2.5Y 4/2) silty clay loam, light gray (2.5Y 7/2) dry; weak medium subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; common fine roots; disseminated carbonate throughout; violent effervescence (about 22 percent calcium carbonate); moderately alkaline; clear wavy boundary.
Bk2--22 to 28 inches; light olive brown (2.5Y 5/3) silt loam, light gray (2.5Y 7/2) dry; weak medium subangular blocky structure; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; disseminated carbonate throughout; violent effervescence (about 23 percent calcium carbonate); moderately alkaline; clear wavy boundary. (combined thickness of Bk horizons is 8 to 30 inches)
C1--28 to 40 inches; light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) silt loam, pale yellow (2.5Y 7/4) dry; few fine prominent yellowish red (5YR 5/8) mottles; massive; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few very fine roots; strong effervescence (about 17 percent calcium carbonate); moderately alkaline; gradual wavy boundary.
C2--40 to 50 inches; light olive brown (2.5Y 5/4) silt loam, pale yellow (2.5Y 7/3) dry; common fine prominent yellowish red (5YR 5/8) mottles; few fine dark reddish brown (5YR 3/3) accumulations of Fe and Mn oxides; massive; very hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; few fine accumulations of carbonate; strong effervescence (about 14 percent calcium carbonate); slightly alkaline; gradual wavy boundary. (combined thickness of C horizons is 15 to 45 inches thick)
2C3--50 to 60 inches; olive brown (2.5Y 4/4) clay loam, light yellowish brown (2.5Y 6/4) dry; many fine prominent yellowish red (5YR 5/8) mottles; massive; hard, friable, slightly sticky and slightly plastic; many fine faint dark reddish brown (5YR 3/3) accumulations of Fe and Mn oxides; about 1 percent pebbles; few fine accumulations of carbonate; strong effervescence (about 14 percent calcium carbonate); moderately alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION; Clark County, South Dakota; about 9 miles east and 1 mile south of Clark; 2300 feet west and 80 feet south of the northeast corner of sec. 15, T. 116 N., R. 56 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: Typically carbonates are at the surface, but in some pedons the surface layer is leached. The thickness of the mollic epipedon ranges from 7 to 20 inches. The depth to glacial till ranges from 40 to more than 60 inches. The particle size control section contains 18 to 35 percent clay with less than 15 percent fine sand or coarser.
The A horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 2 or 3 (3 to 5 dry), and chroma of 1 or 2. It dominantly is silty clay loam but is silt loam in some pedons. It is neutral to moderately alkaline.
The ABk horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 2 or 3 (3 to 5 dry), and chroma 1 or 2. It is silty clay loam or silt loam and reaction is slightly or moderately alkaline. It typically has common or many accumulations of carbonate, but is disseminated in some pedons. Some pedons do not have an ABk horizon. Some pedons have an Ak horizon.
The Bk horizon has hue of 10YR, 2.5Y, or 5Y; value of 3 to 5 (5 to 7 dry); and chroma of 1 to 4. It is silty clay loam or silt loam and reaction is slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline. Calcium carbonate is commonly disseminated throughout the Bk horizon but accumulations may be visible. It contains 15 to more than 30 percent calcium carbonate equivalent.
The C horizon has hue of 2.5Y or 5Y, value of 4 to 6 (5 to 7 dry), and chroma of 2 to 4. It is silty clay loam or silt loam and reaction is slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline. In some pedons the C horizon extends to a depth greater than 60 inches. Mottles range from few to many. Some pedons do not have mottles in the upper part of the C horizon.
The 2C horizon has hue of 2.5Y or 5Y, value of 4 or 6 (5 to 7 dry), and chroma of 2 to 4. It is loam or clay loam and reaction is slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline. Mottles range from few to many. It has about 1 to 5 percent gravel by volume. In some pedons the 2C horizon is not present.
COMPETING SERIES: These are the Bearden and McIntosh series. Bearden soils are laminated within a depth of 40 inches or varved with thin layers of sand to clay at a depth of 20 to 40 inches. McIntosh soils have 15 percent or more fine sand or coarser at a depth of 20 to 40 inches.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Cubden soils are on low rises and rims slightly above depressions on uplands. Slope gradients are 0 to 6 percent and are plane to slightly convex. The soils formed in silty glacial till, or in silty materials over loamy glacial till on uplands. Mean annual temperature ranges from 39 to 48 degrees F. and mean annual precipitation ranges from 16 to 24 inches. Growing season is about 120 to 140 days; average growing season precipitation ranges from 15 to 18 inches; and growing degree days are about 2500 to 2900.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the competing McIntosh soils and the Badger, Brookings, Colvin, Kranzburg, Oldham, Parnell, Poinsett, Tonka, and Waubay soils. Brookings soils have mollic epipedons more than 16 inches thick and are in slightly higher positions on the landscape. Colvin soils do not have chroma of 3 or more within 30 inches and are on slightly lower positions on the landscape. Kranzburg soils have a cambic horizon, do not have a calcic horizon, and are on convex slopes above the Cubden soils. McIntosh soils are on similar positions on the landscape. Badger soils are in lower swale positions and have an argillic horizon. The very poorly or poorly drained Oldham, Parnell, and Tonka soils have a fine textured series control section and are in depressions. The well drained Poinsett soils do not have mottles above 30 inches, have a cambic horizon, and are on plane slopes above the Cubden soils. Waubay soils do not have calcic horizons within 16 inches, have a cambic horizon, and are in similar or slightly higher positions on the landscape.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Somewhat poorly drained. Runoff is low or medium. Permeability is moderate or moderately slow. A water table is apparent between depths of 1.5 to 3.5 feet in the spring of most years.
USE AND VEGETATION: Mostly cultivated. Corn, soybeans, small grains, alfalfa and tame grass are the principal crops. Major native grass species are big bluestem, green needlegrass, switchgrass, western wheatgrass, indiangrass, little bluestem, canada wildrye, sideoats grama, porcupinegrass, sedges and forbs.
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: Northcentral and northeastern South Dakota; possibly adjacent parts of North Dakota and Minnesota. The series is of moderate extent.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: St. Paul, Minnesota
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Deuel County, South Dakota, 1990.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are: Mollic epipedon - the zone from the surface of the soil to a depth of about 14 inches (Ap, ABk horizons); calcic horizon - the zone from 10 to 28 inches (ABk Bk1 and Bk2 horizons).